Los Angeles Chargers: Expect an offensive battle against the Jaguars

The 3-5 Los Angeles Chargers travel across the U.S. to square off against the 5-3 Jacksonville Jaguars — expect A LOT of offense.

The Los Angeles Chargers come off of their bye week with a 3-5 record in a much better position than many would have expected. Although the team has lost several close contests — two by muffed field goals — the 2017-18 season was not initially promising. Los Angeles started with a 0-4 record and looked primed to enter full tank mode.

However, that was not the case. Philip Rivers and company refused to quit, winning three games in a row following the 0-4 start. First, it was a five-point victory over the New York Giants to move them to 0-5. Next, it was a 17-16 victory over the Oakland Raiders that was the result of a missed extra point. Finally, it was a 21-0 victory over the Denver Broncos that gave the team some confidence.

Although Los Angeles did lose the following week to the New England Patriots 21-13 that confidence is still there. Los Angeles hung around with the defending Super Bowl Champions; holding Tom Brady and company to just one touchdown.

Per Eric D. Williams of ESPN, head coach Anthony Lynn showcased that the confidence in the Los Angeles Chargers has not wavered following the bye week.

"“I’d like to be in a better position, but everything’s still in front of us. The whole division is still in front of us. We’re not out of this yet. Our guys understand that. The urgency that we have to have this second half, I think everyone’s on the same page,” Lynn said."

So, what exactly should we expect as the Chargers head to Jacksonville to take on the Jaguars? Unlike the past few contests, which admittedly were snooze fests, fans should expect and offensive showcase on both sides of the ball.

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For the Jacksonville Jaguars, the gameplan is simple: run Leonard Fournette down the Chargers’ throat. Although Fournette did sit out the team’s contest against the Bengals due to violating team rules, he should be ready to go against the Chargers. Fournette is averaging just shy of 100 yards per game and has scored in all six games played.

The Chargers’ front seven, led by Joey Bosa, Melvin Ingram and Corey Liuget are among the league’s best at pressuring the quarterback, so Blake Bortles may not be a factor.

While Jacksonville’s ferocious pass rush can affect Philip Rivers, the Chargers line held their own against the New England Patriots. Dan Feeney and Kenny Wiggins did not allow a single pressure on Philip Rivers against the Patriots.

Thus, the line will likely give Rivers enough time to pass, hopefully allowing the Chargers to beat the league’s best pass defense. However, the Jaguars’ Achilles’ heel on defense is the run game, hopefully leading to a big game from Melvin Gordon. If the Chargers’ offense can disguise packages, Gordon should be in for a big day.

Next: Predicting the rest of the Rams schedule

In a sense, this game comes down to the battle between Melvin Gordon and Leonard Fournette. Regardless of who comes out on top, at the end of the day, this will prove to be an offensive battle on both ends.

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